Monin Spicy Mango Chicken Wings

Monin Spicy Mango Wings. Photo courtesy of Monin.

Putting a creative twist on classic sports-watching grub is a great way to get fans as excited about the food as they are about the game, while still providing the comfort of their tried and true favorite snacks.  Give your chicken wings some flair with a sweet and spicy sauce using Monin Spicy Mango syrup.  Keep a variety of syrup flavors on hand and use your favorite to add an extra pop of flavor to your dishes.

1 cup hot wing sauce                                                              

2 tablespoons Monin® Spicy Mango Syrup

24 chicken wing/drumette pieces, cooked

Whisk together hot wing sauce and Monin Spicy Mango syrup until well combined.  Toss cooked wings with sauce mixture, drain off excess sauce, and serve.

Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dip

Game day isn’t complete without a good dip, and this buttermilk blue cheese dip is a great compliment to your wings.  Serve it up in a wide mouth, melamine dish.  Not only does this allow for easy dipping, but melamine is a break resistant alternative to glass that’s great for a busy or even rowdy environment.

Servings: Makes about 1 cup                                               

5 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped

Carlisle’s melamine dishes are great for dips or salsas. Photo courtesy of Carlisle.

¼ cup white wine vinegar                                                     

1 teaspoon sugar

Pinch of kosher salt

¼ cup buttermilk

¼ cup sour cream

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

½ cup crumbled blue cheese

Freshly ground black pepper

Salt

Place onion in a small bowl.  Bring vinegar, sugar, salt, and ¼ cup water to a bowl.  Pour over onion and stir.  Cover and let pickle in the refrigerator for 1 hour or more.  Whisk together buttermilk, sour cream, and chives until smooth.  Stir in blue cheese.  Drain pickled onion and stir into dip.   Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ginger Beer Margaritas

Football beverages don’t have to just mean cheap beer.  Stand out from the crowd by offering Ginger Beer Margaritas!  After all, margaritas and football are a great pairing already, if not partially for the fact that they are easy to mix up in batches if need be.  Make sure to have plenty of pitchers on hand or try serving them in a fun glass to make an extra festive experience for your guests. Libbey’s football tumblers are a great option.

Libbey football tumblers are a fun option for football season.

1.5 ounces tequila

1 ounce fresh lime juice

3 ounces Cock ‘n Bull Ginger Beer

.5 ounce simple syrup

Salt for rim

Line rim of glass with fresh lime juice and dip in salt.  Add tequila, simple syrup, ginger beer and lime juice to cocktail shaker with ice and stir (do not shake or ginger beer will fizz up).  Pour liquid into glass with ice and garnish with a lime wedge.  Double, triple, etc. amounts for larger batches.

As long as you are prepared with plenty of beverage and dining room supplies, and a variety of creative favorites on the menu, you are sure to keep the crowds happily cheering on their teams.  Enjoy football season!

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